Dynamo (magician)

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For other uses, see Dynamo (disambiguation).

Dynamo
 Frayne on stage in 2015

Born Steven Frayne

17 December 1982 (age 41)[1]

Bradford, West Yorkshire, England

Occupation Magician

Years active 2002–present

Signature

Steven Frayne (born 17 December 1982), better known by his former stage
name Dynamo, is a British magician[2] born in Bradford, West Yorkshire.[3] His television
show Dynamo: Magician Impossible ran from July 2011 to September 2014, and saw
him win the Best Entertainment Programme award at the 2012 and 2013 Broadcast
Awards.[4][5] Dynamo has toured the world, and his Seeing Is Believing arena tour was
seen by over 750,000 people across the UK, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand. [6]
[7][8][9]

Early career[edit]
Frayne was given the name Dynamo in 2001 while performing at Houdini's centenary
celebrations at the New York Hilton[10] in front of magic peers including David
Blaine and David Copperfield.[11] Impressed by Frayne's magic display, a member of the
crowd shouted out: “this kid is an effing dynamo”, and the name stuck.[12][13]
In 2003, Frayne was given a loan from the Prince's Trust, allowing him to start his
business and invest in camera equipment.[13] Frayne moved to London in 2004 to build a
career in magic,[14][15] and his plan was to create the first ever 'magic mix-tape'.[16] He set
out with a small team to film his performances on the streets of London and backstage
at events, after he had been permitted entry by impressing doormen and tour
managers.[14] Within a year, Frayne had created footage with Coldplay, Gwyneth
Paltrow, Snoop Dogg and more.[17] He quickly developed a fanbase after posting the
clips on YouTube, helping to boost his profile to a wider audience.[14]
Professional career[edit]
Dynamo's first TV appearances began in 2002 on Channel 4's Richard & Judy.
[18]
Bosses at the station were impressed with his magic abilities, and commissioned a
one-hour documentary titled Dynamo's Estate of Mind,[19] which followed Dynamo doing
his routines around the London circuit.[20]
Television[edit]
Dynamo: Magician Impossible[edit]
Dynamo: Magician Impossible is a fly on the wall documentary series that followed the
life of Frayne. The series was produced by Frayne's own production company Inner
Circle Films and Phil McIntyre Productions for UKTV and Universal Networks
International.[21][22] The series reached over 30 million viewers in the UK[23] and over 250
million viewers worldwide across 193 territories.[24]
The four-episode first series aired from 7 July 2011 until 28 July 2011.[25] To launch the
show, Frayne walked on water across the River Thames outside the Houses of
Parliament, in front of a crowd who had gathered on Westminster Bridge.[26] The first
series was filmed in London, Miami and Los Angeles, and had 6.69 million viewers in
the UK, leading to UKTV renewing the show for a second and third series in February
2012.[27]
Series 2 of premiered on 5 July 2012, and was again four-episodes in duration.[28] The
show generated 7.67 million viewers in the UK and won the award for Best
Entertainment Programme at the Broadcast Awards,[4] show of the year at the Virgin
Media awards[29] and was shortlisted for Best Entertainment Programme at the 17th
National Television Awards.[30] This series also received a BAFTA nomination for Best
Entertainment Programme.[31]
In 2013, Frayne travelled to New York City, Ibiza, South Africa and London to film
content for the show's third series. The first episode, filmed in New York City, was
broadcast on 11 July 2013 and was viewed by 1.35 million people. The series was
again nominated for BAFTA's Best Entertainment Programme award,[32] alongside Ant &
Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway, Derren Brown: The Great Art Robbery and Strictly
Come Dancing.
A fourth and final series of the show was commissioned by UKTV in 2014, which aired
in the September of the same year.[33] In this series, Dynamo performed street magic
in California, India, Paris, London, Manchester and Bradford. For the third year running,
Dynamo: Magician Impossible was nominated by BAFTA for the Best Entertainment
Programme award.[34]
Dynamo Revealed[edit]
On 19 December 2013, Watch broadcast Dynamo Revealed, a documentary in which
Frayne spoke to the then BBC Radio 1 presenter Zane Lowe about the steps he took to
grow from rough area of Bradford to the magician that he is today.[35][36]
Dynamo A–Z[edit]
In 2016, Watch commissioned an hour-long TV special titled Dynamo A–Z, where
Dynamo presented a retrospective, alphabetical review of clips of some of his magic
tricks from Dynamo: Magician Impossible.[37]
Dynamo Live at The O2[edit]
Frayne continued his work with Watch to bring his live arena tour, Seeing is Believing,
to TV screens across the United Kingdom. Dynamo Live at The O2 followed Frayne as
he embarked on the biggest live magic performance in British history.[38] The show was
broadcast live across the UK on Watch.[39][40]
Media appearances[edit]
Frayne has appeared and performed on multiple TV shows, including Friday Night with
Jonathan Ross,[41] Snoop Dogg's Fatherhood,[42] the MTV EMAs and more. He has also
featured in advertisements for the likes of Adidas, Samsung and Pepsi, and has
appeared on the catwalk for Naomi Campbell's Fashion for Relief.[43]
Frayne's media appearances have regularly involved magic stunts with celebrities. In
May 2009, Dynamo levitated comedian Matt Lucas four feet off the ground in front of a
crowd at the Emirates Stadium in London.[44][45]
Frayne collaborated with Pepsi Max in 2013, where he levitated next to a London Bus
driving through Central London.[46] The stunt attracted media coverage from across the
globe, including Good Morning America[47] and Sky News. Later in the year, Frayne
worked with Mercedes-Benz to create a video called Dynamo vs Coulthard,
featuring Formula One driver David Coulthard.[48][49]
In 2014, Frayne worked with Hunter and became an integral part of their London
Fashion Week show. Frayne appeared to levitate and then made models, including Suki
Waterhouse, vanish in front of the crowd which included Stella McCartney and Anna
Wintour.[50][51]
2015 saw Frayne work with Fiat to launch the Fiat 500X. Frayne made the car appear in
a beam of light in front of a live audience at the Copper Box Arena in London for the
car's pre-launch event. The live performance was a result of three years of work and
preparation by Dynamo.[52][53]
In March 2017, Dynamo worked with Betfair to help the FC Barcelona team bond with a
series of unconventional training techniques.[54] Dynamo first appeared at the club's
training ground, before working on visualisation exercises with the likes of Luis
Suárez, Jordi Alba, Gerard Piqué, Sergio Busquets and Sergi Roberto.[55]
Frayne has made multiple charitable media appearances for Comic Relief, Sport
Relief and Children in Need. In 2010, he appeared on BBC One's coverage of Sport
Relief, where he appeared to turn lottery tickets into cash in front of singer Robbie
Williams and presenter Davina McCall. He then later performed a levitation in front of
comedian James Corden and a live studio audience. The following year, Frayne
appeared on Comic Relief, highlighting the work that British Airways had done to raise
money.
Dynamo has appeared on networks and shows including ESPN, the BBC's Never Mind
the Buzzcocks and Young Apprentice and more. In 2013, Frayne was flown out to
Hollywood to film with pop band One Direction, as part of 1D Day. He also opened the
semi-final of Strictly Come Dancing with a magic and dance routine.[56]
In February 2018, Dynamo appeared in an episode of Amazon Prime’s The Grand Tour,
[57]
and in November of the same year, he made an appearance for Prince Charles' 70th
birthday,[58][59] where he performed on ITV's We Are Most Amused and Amazed.
Live tours[edit]
In 2014, Frayne announced his first live tour, Seeing Is Believing.[60] Frayne's ambitions
for the show were high, commenting to the press that “[he was] hoping that like [he] did
for magic on TV, [he could] reinvent the live magic show and produce something fans
have never seen before.”[61]
Dynamo was initially booked to play a 10-date run of shows in the UK,[60] but following
high demand for tickets, the run was extended to three years and 145 dates, where he
sold over 750,000 tickets and filled arenas across the UK, Australia, South Africa and
New Zealand.[6][7][8][9]
As part of the tour, Dynamo became the first magician to headline The O2, London.
[62]
He performed at the London venue three times, with the final show being screened
live on TV.
Books[edit]
Frayne has written several literary accounts which revolve around his upbringing, his
personal story, magic and his relationship with the artform. In 2013, Frayne released his
debut book Nothing Is Impossible: My Story, which became a Sunday
Times Bestseller[63]
In 2017, Frayne released Dynamo: The Book of Secrets, a fully illustrated beginner's
guide to modern magic with tips, tricks and some of his best kept secrets for new,
aspiring magicians to learn.[64] The Book of Secrets reached number 1 position in The
Guardian's Paperback Non-Fiction chart.[65]
Charity[edit]
Frayne has worked with several charities throughout his career as a magician. As well
as his work with the BBC's Children in Need, Comic Relief and Sport Relief, where he
has appeared on screen performing magic. In 2016 Dynamo worked on a film
for Theirworld titled Safe Schools: Children can no longer wait, Directed by Sebastian
Thiel. In 2017 he was announced as Theirworld ambassador.[66] Since then, Frayne has
worked with the organisation to help promote the education of Syrian refugee children.
[67]
As part of his work with the charity, Frayne has travelled around the world and to
the United Nations to meet world leaders and discuss opportunities to help Syrian
refugees.
Personal life[edit]
Frayne was born in Bradford, England, to an English mother and a father of Pakistani
ancestry.[68][69] Frayne is the eldest of four children, his late father went to prison in 1986
when Frayne was 4. At age 19, his father came to see his act and, according to Frayne,
made a failed attempt to recruit him into crime.[70][71] He grew up, for a time on the Delph
Hill estate in Wyke,[72] one of the most deprived areas in the UK at the time.[73] Frayne
suffered from bullying at school, and as a result, his grandfather taught him his first
magic trick to make it seem like he was much heavier than he was in reality, so that
other children couldn't pick him up.[74] Frayne is a supporter of Bradford City A.F.C.[75]
Frayne was diagnosed with Crohn's disease when he was 17, and he had part of his
intestine removed when he was a teenager in America visiting family.[76][69] In 2018, he
posted a video on Twitter[77][78] discussing his struggles with the disease following a
severe bout of food poisoning in 2017, which led to him suffering from severe arthritis,
weight gain and rashes.[79][80] In June 2020, Frayne issued a High Court writ for damages
in excess of £200,000, against the franchise owners of a north London KFC for
damages, alleging food poisoning, due to his consumption of uncooked chicken.[81]
In 2012, Frayne married his partner, whom he met at a music festival.[82] The couple now
live in a Grade II cottage in Hampstead, London.[83][82] During a trip to South Africa in
2018, his London home was raided and robbed of £100,000 worth of watches and
jewellery.[84] The thief, a career criminal, was caught and convicted of the theft.
Honours and recognition[edit]
Dynamo was promoted to Associate of the Magic Circle for Performance by the
magicians’ society The Magic Circle in 2012,[85] the same year that Dynamo: Magician
Impossible won the award for Best Entertainment Programme at the Broadcast Awards.
[86][87]
The show also won Show of the Year at the Virgin Media Awards and received
nominations for Best Entertainment Programme at the BAFTA TV Awards and the 17th
National Television Awards.
Frayne was awarded an honorary degree from Bradford University in 2013, for his
commitment to Bradford, improving opportunities for young people and his charity work.
[88]
2013 also saw Frayne receive the Grolla d’Oro award at the Masters of Magic
Convention in Turin.[89]
In 2015, Dynamo was named AMA Magician of the Year award at The Academy of
Magical Arts 48th Annual Awards Show.[90] He was also given a Fellowship to the
academy by its board of trustees. Dynamo was also awarded The Magic Circle's
Maskelyne Award in 2016, which is awarded for services to British magic.[91]
Following series 2 of Dynamo: Magician Impossible, the show again won the Broadcast
Award for Best Entertainment Programme in 2013.[87] Dynamo also won the accolade of
TV Show of the Year at the Virgin Media Awards and was nominated for Best
Entertainment Programme at the BAFTA TV Awards in the same year.[32]
In 2014, Dynamo: Magician Impossible was nominated for Best Entertainment
Programme at both the BAFTA TV Awards and the Televisual Bulldog Awards. [34]
Dynamo was included in Forbes' list of The World's Highest-Paid Magicians in both
2016[92] and 2017.[93]

Ref: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dynamo_(magician)